I Corinthians 9:21-22
Vs. 21 – to those without the law – means the Gentiles..
Paul was saying, when I am with the Gentiles…I don’t worry about eating Kosher, I don’t worry about the feasts, and customs of the Jews. I live as the Gentiles live – but only to a degree. Notice what is in parenthesis, this is important, because many people are twisting this verse to mean something that it does not.
Though Paul would be as those without the law…he never let it go so far as to sin. The parenthesis in verse 21 basically says “yet not so far as to sin.” He may have set down his Jewish traditions around the Gentiles, but he was never beyond God’s law.
God teaches us here, that we ought to be willing to adjust our lives to reach all kinds of people. We ought to be willing to adjust our cultures, adjust our desires, adjust our schedules, adjust our likes or dislikes in order to reach people with the Gospel.
But there is a line not to cross…and that line is that we do not follow those unsaved into their sins. Paul was as the Gentiles, but never lived beyond the law of God and Christ. He never crossed the line into sin in order to reach people.
For example:
I want to reach the prisoner, but I don’t get myself arrested to reach them.
I want to reach the drug addict, but I don’t do drugs like them, so they will accept me.
I want to reach the alcoholic, but I don’t go to the bars and drink so they will listen to me.
I want to reach the worldly, rough, and party crowd, but I don’t go to the dances and parties or get piercings and tattoos so they will accept me.
Paul said, I become all things to all men, but I never cross the line into sin. I never go so far as to go against the law of God, and Christ! – I don’t sin to do it!
Now notice vs. 22 – to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak.
When we think of Vacation Bible School, the weak, in this case, are the children. Think of verse 22 this way, “To the children became I as a child, that I might gain the children.” That is exactly what we did during this last VBS – we became childish, so we might gain the children. We lost our pride, we picked up our childish ways, we took on our inner-child, and we became as they – so that we might gain them, and save some! We thought like them, we sang like them, we sometimes acted like them, we played like them, we did all we could do like them, that we may gain them and save some. And I don’t know of anything more important to gain than the children.
When you think about it, that is what Jesus did to gain us. He became us, so that he might gain us and save some.
Heb 2:9,10 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
This year’s VBS was a great success in many ways. And of course, the glory and praise goes to the Lord who took the labor and prayers of the church and turned it into a blessing.
It was a success because: The number of people who got involved allowed us to have a very smooth running event.
THANK YOU adults and teens who gave their time, effort, and prayers.
It was a success because: We had a great attendance each night, and a large number of total kids registered.
Thank you everyone who helped in the flyer blitzes, and van route.
It was a success because: Best of all, we were able to share the gospel every night to a crowd of people with several children responding to the invitation each night. Even though not all of them were at the point to where they could understand enough to be saved, several did receive Christ as their Saviour. Praise the Lord!
As I have said before, many good things are done for the community by various groups – this is truly wonderful. But I’ll tell you something…nothing is better for the community than helping a child accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. The greatest community event of the year is the VBS where a kid can come and get saved, so their name is written in the book of life, and when they die, they will spend eternity with God – because their sins have been forgiven. A life changed by Jesus, will do more for the community than any other program or outreach. I am thankful for community servants, but I am most thankful for dedicated Christians who reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
– S. Borner, Pastor